Enter Your Search

Featured Searches

LETTERS

LETTERS
June291981

LETTERS

June291981

LETTERS

Framed carnage

The world was once outraged by pictures of bodies stacked in concentration camps (El Salvador: Under the Volcano, Cover, June 15). However since Vietnam the endless display of the dead has degraded our perspective. Bodies are now called guerrillas, freedom fighters, leftists, rightists, victims or the morning roundup. Until the world realizes that these bodies were human beings—fathers, sons, grandchildren—civilization is at a standstill. There can be no hope for a peaceful world until it is universally accepted and proclaimed that the ultimate moral crime is the taking of a human life no matter in what, or for what, cause.

—W.G. HUTTON, Brampton, Ont.

Your article on Fabio Castillo, leader of the FDR of El Salvador, shows up the naïveté of Ed Broadbent on his Socialist International mission. What Castillo foresees, assuming his victory, is not multiparty electoral democracy but rather another variant of “dictatorship of the proletariat,” one more case of the extreme left taking control and imposing a dictatorship. All extreme movements, whether of the right or the left, lead to the same result. For individuals, there is little to choose from facist, communist or socialist jails.

— HENRY S. WEILER, Ottawa

Illogical perversions

Your article A Battle Over a Manner of Speaking (Education, May 11) deals with the fact that I have taken the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre to the Supreme Court of Ontario. I have done this after a psychiatrist of renown and Australian federal minister of health wrote five letters on April 4, 1974, to Canadian federal ministers and the Ontario ministers of health and education and the attorney-general and later swore to the truth of his accusations in 1978. He is Dr. Douglas N. Everingham, who in his letters condemned the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre in the harshest terms for misteaching the mentally handicapped children by false

and illogical perversions of my symbol system called Blissymbolics. This article is harmful to justice being done to me and to the mistaught children.

—CHARLES BLISS, Toronto/Sydney, Australia

Who’s counting the lashes?

Allan Fotheringham’s Down for the Count (Column, June 8) is reflective of a spoiled child lashing out after being rightly punished. He should not boast that he will not fully complete his 1981 census nor sway others to do the same. The census is very important and everyone must do his part to keep our country running as smoothly as possible. —JEFF E. GROVESTINE,

Aylesford, N.S.

Despite its political ineptness and a minority of cavalier bureaucrats, this country will always be a winner with champs like Allan Fotheringham scoring TKOS. —DARELLB. PROVOST,

Neepawa, Man.

We had no way of striking back at the government for these crazy questionnaires. Allan Fotheringham did it for us. That and more! —MARG HORNSBY, Hanover, Ont.

A faux grand pas

Rachel Macmillan is Harold Macmillan’s granddaughter not daughter (People, June 22). Her pa is the Right Honorable Maurice Macmillan, MP.

— DAVID SCOTT-ATKINSON, Toronto

More than a Wounded Knee

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s refusal to recognize aboriginal rights regrettably reflects the attitude of many Canadians who believe natives are a defeated people who long ago lost all their rights (Rumbles From the North, Cover, June 1). His comment, “no society can be built on historical might-havebeens,” is based on the false assumption that the issue has already been resolved. There are many traditional rights which have neither been relinquished by native people nor negotiated by treaty. —GEORGE OBLIN,

Waswanipi, Que.

Trudeau was right in 1969; “no society can be built on historical might-havebeens.” Logically, native people either have “aboriginal rights” to all of Canada or to none of it. If we allow 24,000 natives to tell 24 million Canadians what to do we’ll get exactly what we deserve—half a country. -DAVEANKNEY,

London, Ont.

Congratulations on your cover story reminding us all of Canada’s greatest piece of unfinished business—resolution of aboriginal rights. Is it not ironic that we refer to this as “native land claims” as if it were some kind of simple real estate deal to get native people onto new reserves (and out of our way)? Oh that the native people of today’s frontier could strike a comparable deal to that given CPR so that they too could have a real say in the future of our country and their homeland. —D.J. GAMBLE,

Many Canadians don’t know the benefits natives have in this country. They pay no taxes (while on reserves), have free medical and dental care, housing assistance, free university education and hunting and fishing rights, just to name a few. These land claims are just the current items on their demand list. Indians always seem to receive everything they ask for and it’s about time somebody said no. — ERNEST G. QUINTAL, Rosetown, Sask.

It’s nationalistic gas

Your article Propane Cars Are Hitting the Road (Energy, June 1) missed the point. In Canada, as in the U.S., it is the Canadian-owned independents that are leading the way in alternative fuels such as gasohol and propane. It is not the foreign-owned multinationals. Maclean's thus continues its policy to promote Canadian culture, but to ignore Canadian-owned businesses. One won’t survive without the other.

—JAMES R. CONRAD, Toronto

Twice bitten, once shy

Thank God for the Ontario Court of Appeal (A Tale That Wags the Dog, Canada, June 8). After being threatened, chased and bitten by two different dogs in a matter of four months I must cheer and applaud its decision. —D. GAMBLE, St. Catharines, Ont.

A kick before kick-off

Your article The Troubling Fates of Philanthropic Causes (Consumerism, April 13) contains several inaccurate references to the relationship between the Nestlé company and Cansave. For

the record, Nestlé has been involved with the College Bowl, and to a lesser degree with Cansave, for the past six years. The cost of this involvement has been many times greater than $35,000. But Toronto fund raiser Peter Gorman has never had to cajole or even remind the Nestlé company to honor its commitment to the annual College Bowl fund-raising activity. Similarly, the relationship between Cansave and Nestlé has always been cordial.

It seems that a Third World War between the two superpowers is inevitable (Facing the Blue Water Threat, Q&A, June 8). The only reasonable alternative is nuclear disarmament. The past 35 years have revealed the futility of asking politicians to do this, so the people of the world should demand a global referendum. In the name of reason, peace, democracy and in the name of freedom to live we must support such a referendum.

—J. WILLEM VANLEENHOFF, Roxboro, Que.

For the persons by the persons

Given the innovative and experimental nature of the original concept of CBC-2 (Blinkers for an Eye in the Sky, Canada, June 8)—a noncommercial alternative Canadian television service for audiences with specialized interests and tastes—it’s worth noting that your description of “the six-man Television-2 planning staff” is not exact. Half of those six “men” are women.

How could anyone permit such so-called funny remarks by a couple of so-called comics—Lawther and Couture—that descend to the level of sacrilege in their routines (People, June 8)? The blessed Virgin Mary and her all-Holy Son, Jesus Christ, already have to endure so much insult and mockery from the world of atheism. How can two citizens of this Christian land dare to use their holy names in an all-night revue?

— R.E. LYTTON, Richmond, B.C.

Letters are edited and may be condensed. Writers should supply name, address and telephone number. Mail correspondence to: Letters to the Editor, Maclean’s magazine, 1+81 University Ave., Toronto, Ont., M5W1A7.

Every Issue. Ever.

The Complete Maclean’s Archive

Every Issue. Ever.

The story you want is part of the Maclean’s Archives. To access it, log in here or sign up for your free 30-day trial.
Experience anything and everything Maclean's has ever published — over 3,500 issues and 150,000 articles, images and advertisements — since 1905. Browse on your own, or explore our curated collections and timely recommendations.WATCH THIS VIDEO for highlights of everything the Maclean's Archives has to offer.